The Modern Adventures of Thomas and Friends
by Writer in Da House
Summary: It's 2018 on the Island of Sodor and the North Western Railway is changing rapidly. Now for the first time, the NWR prepares to expand its borders beyond Sodor! As the expansions get underway, Thomas and the Steam Team are concerned about their ability to handle such rapid change as well as heavy workloads as they continue to age. Can they adjust to their rapidly changing world?
1. Winds of Change

_North Western Railway Headquarters, Knapford Station, Island of Sodor, March 2018_

Sir Richard Topham Hatt sat at the head of the long desk in the large conference room with several other men, a few of whom were railway representatives.

"So Sir Topham, as you can see, the lines of the Isle of Man are failing miserably. They've not been able to make a full recovery since the economic recession of 2008 that originated in the United States. If the North Western Railway does not absorb the Isle of Man's railway network, the entire railway could go under and the people living there may be left with no rail transport for their industries." Said a tall, thin man from the Mainland.

Another man from the Mainland rose to speak as well. "Indeed sir. The same goes for a number of goods branch lines in Cumbria that terminate at Barrow-In-Furness. The agricultural and industrial industries those lines service are vital to a number of towns for transporting their goods to the mainline. Without proper means of transport, those industries could shut down which would cause a local economic crisis in Southern Cumbria. I persuade the North Western Railway to take procession and management of these railway lines to ensure the security of Cumbria's economy."

Richard took all of this information in with great interest, but also concern. The economic recession of 2008 had hit all of Great Britain hard. As business on the Mainland slowed down, the profits of many railways had plummeted. Surprisingly, the North Western Railway was the only railway in Western England whose economy and profits continued to grow during the recession, despite that income slowed down a bit.

The prospect of expanding the NWR beyond Sodor onto the Isle of Man and parts of Cumbria on the Mainland was thrilling and nerve jangling. Richard knew how much local industries meant to individual towns and villages along railway networks. It was how the NWR had been able to thrive for the last 103 years by serving local businesses and industries by transporting goods beyond Sodor in order to make profits.

Richard also thought about the immense workload such an expansion would require. The branch line facilities in Southern Cumbria would most likely need an immense overhaul and currently, the Island of Sodor was not connected to the Isle of Man in any way other than be sea ferrying. In order for rail transport to work, the NWR needed a way of accessing the small neighboring island by rail. Richard knew this would mean undertaking the massive project of building a tunnel underneath the channel to connect the 2 islands which would cost a lot of money, require the input of a lot of workmen, equipment, and engines as well as take heaven knew how long to compete.

In addition, he would need more engines. A lot more engines. They too would cost money to either purchase from scrapyards or build in the Sodor Steamworks. _Heck, the Steamworks hadn't built any steam engines ever since the Glynn and the other Coffee Pot engines were completed!_ Richard thought with worry. _Would the workers be up to the challenge? And what classes of engines would we even build?_

Richard then weighed in the positives. _Then again, if the overhaul of the Southern Cumbrian railway facilities and the construction of the Inter-Island Tunnel were successful, this could mean profits for the North Western like never seen before!_ He thought silently. _Besides, my engines would be up for the challenge! Despite a few setbacks, they completed the Harwick Extension in record time and now they're preparing to build a branch extension up the Northwestern coast of Sodor as well as an extension of Thomas' Branchline!_

Richard had gone through the NWR's finances and the railway board had given full approval for the extensions and expansions. The NWR was worth hundreds of millions after all. The entire Island of Sodor was now waiting on his final approval. _My engines can do anything! The North Western hasn't failed at anything yet and I don't intend on letting it anytime soon!_ Thought Richard.

With his mind made up, Sir Richard Topham Hatt turned back to face the railway representatives from Cumbria and the Isle of Man.

"Gentlemen, the North Western Railway will be more than happy to absorb the Isle of Man and lines of Southern Cumbria in order to ensure the financial futures of local industries in those areas! We will also be happy to fully incorporate all facilities and railway staff of both regions into the North Western!" he announced.

The railway representatives clapped and one of them got up to shake Richard's hand.

"Thank you for consideration Sir! My colleagues and I look forward to working for you in the near future!" said a medium sized man with a bowler hat.

As the men got up and left, Sir Topham Hatt headed back into his private office with a window that looked out into Knapford Station. Staring out, he could see Gordon departing with the early morning commuter express to Barrow, Thomas dropping off commuters from Elsbridge, Henry going back to the sheds for a rest after pulling the Flying Kipper, and Percy arranging a goods train for Edward. He wondered how the engines would react to the new of the expansions and the arrival of many new engines later on. Richard decided he would go to each shed across the island and inform the engines there as groups, starting with the Steam Team at Tidmouth that evening.

Yes, the Island of Sodor and the North Western Railway were changing rapidly as the world got busier and busier. It would be an incredible challenge, but it wouldn't be anything that Thomas, the Steam Team, and their friends wouldn't be able to handle!

To be continued…


	2. Exciting News

As the evening approached, most of the engines on Sodor were preparing to make their last deliveries and head back to their respective sheds with the exception of a few night trains. On this particular night, Thomas was bringing the last of the evening commuters from Knapford down his branchline to their homes in Hackenback, Elsbridge, Dryaw, and Ffarquar. Once his evening run was completed, he headed back up to Tidmouth to join the rest of the Steam Team in some late night conversations before going to sleep. He arrived steamed towards the turn table and Tidmouth sheds expecting to hear quiet conversing, but instead, he found Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, and Emily engaging in loud, excited conversations. Curious, Thomas turned himself round on the turn table and backed into his birth.

"Hey Percy! What's going on?" asked Thomas.

Percy looked over. "Oh, hey Thomas! How are you doing?"

Before Thomas could answer, Edward spoke up. "Hello Thomas! To answer your question, the Fat Controller is going to make an announcement in a few minutes and it sounds like a big one at that!"

Thomas chuckled. "Since when are his announcements this big? And why is everyone so excited about it?"

"Well Thomas, I'm glad you asked!" said a familiar booming voice. The engines immediately quieted down to give the Fat Controller their attention.

"Now then, I see that you all have heard the rumors about my big announcement and let me tell you all that you're going to want to listen closely because this sort of a big deal." said Sir Topham Hatt.

"Why is this announcement such a big deal sir?" asked James.

"I'm about to answer that right now James." Replied the Fat Controller. "As you all know, I've been very busy lately discussing railway matters with some men from the Mainland and the Isle of Man and we are currently looking to extend the North Western's economic capabilities in the near future."

Percy looked confused. "Sir, what do you mean by 'economic capabilities'?" he asked, puzzled.

Sir Topham Hatt grinned broadly. "It means, Percy that very soon, the North Western Railway will be expanding onto the Isle of Man and parts of Cumbria south of Barrow-in-Furness!"

The engines' jaws hung open with shock! Expansion beyond Sodor? How was that even possible? The NWR had serviced Sodor and just Sodor for the last 103 years with the exception of a bit of line connecting Vicarstown with Barrow since the 1925 deal with the former London, Midland and Scottish Railway. At first, Thomas and the others had trouble comprehending the idea, but slowly, they all realized what this meant: more lines to service, more trains to pull, more construction projects to be carried out and most exciting of all; new engines! Soon all 8 of them were whistling with excitement!

"Whoa! Does this mean we're going to have more lines to run?" asked Percy.

"And does this mean you'll have more express services to operate?" asked Gordon.

Sir Topham Hatt laughed. "Indeed it does! But, before we get there, there is much we need to do in order to make the expansion happen."

The engines glanced at each other. What could possibly be needed for the expansions besides other engines?

Being as smart as he was, it didn't take long for Edward to figure out one of those things. "Sir, you said we would be expanding to the Isle of Man correct? And since it isn't connected by land to Sodor, are we going to have to build a tunnel or bridge to reach it?"

"You said it Edward! The distance between the Isle of Man and Sodor is too far to successfully build a rail bridge across the channel, so instead, the construction of an Inter-Island tunnel will be needed." Replied Sir Topham Hatt. "But in order for that to happen, we need lots of workmen, architects, miners, supplies from the Mainland, and of course, lots of help from you engines."

The engines felt the excitement build up in their boilers! Until Thomas remembered the extensions that were currently under construction on Sodor, including the North Coast Branchline that would connect Vicarstown with Harwick around the northern coast of Sodor, and the extension of his own branchline to join up with the North Coast Line when it was completed.

"Um, sir, what about the current new lines that are under construction? Will they have to be put on hold? And what about my branchline?" Thomas asked with concern.

Sir Topham Hatt gave Thomas a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Thomas! I've already thought of that and I'm pleased to say that in order for those projects to continue, I've purchased several new steam engines from the Mainland who will be arriving next week. Most of you will continue your regular duties on your respective lines, but of course, we'll be needing all of your help from time to time on one project or the other."

"More engines?! But there's so many already here." commented Henry.

"Yes there are Henry, but as you can see, as workloads increase, the number of engines to help out must also increase. Otherwise, all of you will be overworked. Besides, I believe that a few of the older engines such as you 8 could use either a reduction in workload, or more engines to help you out. After all, next to Glynn and Stephen, the 8 of you are the oldest engines in my fleet!" replied Sir Topham Hatt.

At the mention of being considered old, Gordon, spoke up. "Nonsense sir! We can manage!" he declared. The others agreed. "Besides, I'm only 98 years old!"

The other engines began laughing! "Oh, only 98 years old eh Gordon?!" chuckled Edward. "Most engines don't even last 30 years let alone 98 years!"

"Edward's right. I know that you can manage, but most of you, particularly Thomas and Edward are in need of overhauls, which I plan to get you in the next year or so. Anyway, moving on to other business, as I said earlier, we're also expanding into Southern Cumbria, so I may need to reallocate a few of you to the Mainland until I can find or build more engines to operate those lines." said the Fat Controller thoughtfully.

The engines glanced at each other wondering who among them would be reallocated.

"Also, the facilities in Cumbria will most likely need a major overhaul and updates, so we're going to need more workmen, supplies, and engines to complete the job. In a week or so, I'll have more details on which project we're going to be starting first. In the meantime, you all had better get some sleep. There's still much to be done." added Sir Topham Hatt. He then climbed into his car and left.

Once he was gone, the engines began chatting excitedly.

"New lines?! Expansions?! An Inter-Island Tunnel?! This is going to be awesome!" said Percy.

"Indeed!" added Gordon. "I can't wait to see if there's going to be a new express service for me to run!"

"Since you and I run goods to Bridlington all the time, I think that the Fat Controller will probably reallocate you and me to Cumbria first Thomas." Said James.

Thomas couldn't disagree, but remained concerned. "He probably will. I'm just worried about my branchline if that happens because Percy and Toby can't handle everything on their own. And how would a new engine manage?"

Emily decided to step in. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about Thomas! The Fat Controller always has a plan! He'll think of something and knowing hi, he'll probably have you train any new engine what is assigned to work your passenger services."

Thomas smiled. "Thanks Emily! I guess you're right."

Henry thought for a moment. "If he starts that tunnel project first, he's going to need bigger engines to handle all the materials and I think I'll be working on that at some point."

The other engines agreed. "Yes Henry. The Fat Controller will probably also have Murdoch, Donald, and Douglass working there too and possibly Edward." remarked Toby. "In the meantime, we should all get some sleep. We still have our normal jobs to do tomorrow."

Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, and Emily all mumbled their agreements and backed further into their berths to allow their crews to clean them for the night.

Secretly, Thomas and Edward was a bit worried. Both of them were in need of overhauls and Edward was considered to be 'semi-retired' by most of the NWR board. He was concerned that he wouldn't be able to handle the immense workloads involved in building the Inter-Island Tunnel despite that he was excited about expanding. At the same time, Thomas was still worried about his branchline. Sir Topham Hatt was most likely preparing to send him and James to work the Southern Cumbria lines first. Who would take care of Annie and Clarabel? And what engine would lead the extension to the North Coast Line besides him?

 _Yes indeed._ Thought Edward. _Things really are changing and have changed in the last 122 years I've been around._

***Author's Notes:

Things are really starting to change for the Island of Sodor and the North Western Railway! On Sodor, there's a new line under construction that will wrap around the Northern Coast of the island and Thomas' branchline is being extended to link up with the new 'North Coast Line'. In addition, the NWR is preparing to absorb the Isle of Man and part of Southern Cumbria. Will the construction of the Inter-Island Tunnel be successful? Will Thomas and James be reallocated to Cumbria? What will become of Edward? What new engines will be joining the NWR's fleet? Answers to these questions are coming up in the next several chapters, so stay tuned!


	3. Old Friend, New Friend

_1 Week Later…_

Business continued as usual on the North Western Railway with Gordon making his morning runs to Vicarstown, Thomas delivering commuters to Knapford, Duck, Oliver, Donald, and Douglas working on the 'Little Western', and the other engines running their respective lines.

Sir Topham Hatt had officially signed off on the government transportation agreements at a meeting in Barrow. Now, the Isle of Man and parts of Southern Cumbria officially belonged to the NWR! With that taken care of, the Fat Controller had decided to pay a visit to each of the NWR's new possessions, beginning with Southern Cumbria. He had made the journey earlier that morning on the Wild Nor 'Wester to Vicarstown and now stood at the station in Barrow-In-Furness waiting for the engine that would take him further south. He didn't have to wait long before a red J1 tank engine of the former Furness Railway pulled up. Richard took a closer look at the engine and remembered something that Edward had told him a long time ago. A story about a J1 named 'Albert' who used to work with him on the Furness Railway in the 1890's and 1900's.

"Albert, is that you?" asked the Fat Controller.

Albert looked over and smiled broadly. "Yes, that's my name!" he said cheerfully. "And you must be Sir Topham Hatt. I hear that you're here to take control of our lines."

"Yes, I am and –." The Fat Controller stopped when he remembered something. "Didn't this area dieselize back in the 60's?"

Albert sighed. "Unfortunately it did. The London Midland Region of BR dieselized by 1967. The good news is that the lines of this area were purchases and privatized by local entrepreneurs in order to prevent them from being shut down by the Beeching Axe. Along with the lines came the engines that worked them, including me."

The Fat Controller raised his eyebrows curiously. "Other engines? What other engines are there?"

"Well, right now, it's just me and another engine named Wayne. He's a Fowler 2P class tender engine. Right now, he's down at the shed where we live, but he's in no condition to run under his own steam." Explained Albert.

The Fat Controller nodded. "Interesting." He mumbled, climbing into Albert's cab. "Well then Albert, why don't you show me the newest section of my railway and meet Wayne?"

"Sure thing sir!" said Albert and they pulled out of Barrow.

Albert steamed down the mainline before stopping at a large junction with lines going in every direction ahead. Finally, the signal turned green and Albert switched to another line that curved around and faced north.

"Here's where it begins sir!" said Albert as he continued away from the mainline.

Looking out, the Richard could see that they were puffing down the line with 3 tracks. Inspecting it as they went along, he was pleased to see that the tracks were in better condition than he thought. As they continued south, the landscape changed slightly. Rolling hills passed them by, dotted with large rocks and a few trees. The hills parted, giving them a pleasant view of the sea. Curious, Richard pulled out his phone and checked a map of the newly absorbed region. Viewing it, he saw that Albert's line went north through Baycliff and Bardsea before curving and heading south through Flookburgh. It turned north again and then followed the coastline south through Carnforth before terminating at the port town of Morecambe.

As the line curved north, the landscape changed yet again from seaside to forest where there were several sawmills. Upon seeing the sawmills dormant and empty, Richard became more determined to make the NWR jumpstart Cumbria's economy. The line curved yet again, and the landscape changed yet again as they began to head south along the Western English coast. This time, the line featured more views of beaches and cliff sides as well as small seaside villages that the railway passed through. Sir Topham Hatt began to consider transforming this area into a coastal tourist attraction that the engines could service.

They steamed through the village of Carnforth where there was a large goods yard. The yard was in very poor condition with signal boxes that hadn't been used in years, oil drums scattered about on the ground, and most of all, old, moldy freight cars shunted into sidings that obviously hadn't been moved in heaven knew how long.

Finally, they saw a town in the distance and passed a sign that read 'Entering the town of Morecambe'. Albert puffed along the tracks that ran parallel to the town and entered a large yard. The yard was disorganized and dirty, but it was in better condition than the one at Carnforth. Finally, Albert braked, coming to a stop just before an old roundhouse and turntable. The roundhouse was derelict and a large nearby station building had the words 'London Midland Region' scrawled on its side while the engine shed itself had an old wooden sign that read 'London, Midland, and Scottish Railway, Ltd. Est. 1923.'.

"Welcome to my home!" said Albert. "It's not much now, but I know that the North Western can help us get it back into shape!"

Richard got out and began inspecting the grounds. _Yes, Morecambe is going to need a lot of work, but I think we can get this place looking as busy as it did in 1923!_ He thought.

Albert then spoke up. "Would you like to meet Wayne sir" he asked.

The Fat Controller nodded and climbed aboard Albert and he began steaming up towards the old roundhouse before stopping in front of a berth in the middle. The workmen opened the doors revealing a rusty, old black LMS 2P tender engine. He looked bored, but cheered up upon seeing Albert.

"About time you got back Albert!" Wayne chuckled. "And who did you bring with you?" he asked, referring to the Fat Controller.

Albert grinned. "Wayne, this is Sir Topham Hatt, controller and CEO of the North Western Railway. He officially absorbed our lines and now, we belong to the North Western!"

Wayne looked excited and pleased. "That's great Albert! About time someone took over this place that knows what they're doing."

Richard smiled. "Indeed Wayne! Welcome to the North Western Railway! My engines will have this area cleaned up in a few months, but in the meantime, I think we need to have you restored and Albert inspected and mended at the Sodor Steamworks. I'll even let you both choose what colors you would like to be painted!"

Albert and Wayne looked at each other with curiosity. "I think we'll wait until we've met a few of your engines until we decide." Said Albert.

"It's going to feel great to be running on my own steam again! I'm thinking I want to be something other than black. All I've been my whole life is black!" chuckled Wayne.

The Fat Controller laughed. "I think I can arrange that! In the meantime, I have some things to think about." He said, turning away from the 2 old engines.

With that, he headed up to the station and looked around the yard. He began to concentrate his thoughts on the local industries including lumber, goods transportation, and agriculture as well as the goods that came into Morecambe Harbor, most of which were transported by road since the old London Midland Region lines were next to un-operational aside from Albert and even he wasn't in good shape. Richard then thought about all of the seaside town and beaches that they had seen along the way. _Maybe I can make them into tourist attractions, with motels, boardwalks, and amusement piers._

Finally, he turned his concentration to the engines of the region, namely Albert, Wayne, and who among his own fleet would operate the branch lines. _I need to have them both taken to the Steamworks as soon as possible to have them both inspected. Albert just needs some new parts and paint, but Wayne is going to need a whole overhaul. Hmmmm… while he's getting that, maybe I should start thinking about getting overhauls for Thomas and Edward. They're both overdue._ Speaking of Edward, Richard then remembered that he had worked on the Furness Railway with Albert before his great-grandfather, Bertram Topham Hatt I purchased him to help build the NWR in 1915. Then, he thought of an idea. _I know! I'll have Edward take Albert to the Steamworks as a surprise! And I'll just tell him that he has a special to pick up here at Morecambe. And I can have Donald or Douglas take Wayne on a flatbed._

One final thought came into his mind: Besides Albert and Wayne, who among his fleet would run the South Cumbria lines? _Thomas and James deliver goods to Bridlington and other stations on the Mainland from time-to-time. I think they can manage. I'd bring in Henry, but he's far too heavy for the lines to manage for now. I think I'll have him work on the Inter-Island Tunnel instead. And of course I'll have to have Edward work here too! After all, he and Albert were friends on the Furness Railway and BoCo can probably manage the passenger services at Wellsworth. And of course, I'll have to build a few new engines at the Steamworks._

Satisfied with the basic plan he had created, the Fat Controller turned back to allow Albert to take him to Barrow where he would ride to Crovan's Gate on Gordon's evening express. Once he was there, he would begin to make plans with the Steamworks to arrange Albert's repairs and Wayne's overhaul. Once that was taken care, of he would worry about reallocating engines and hiring contractors to repair Morecambe and Carnforth. There was still much to be done, but with arrangements made for Southern Cumbria, the job of expanding the North Western Railway just became a little bit easier.

Reader's Helper:

All names of locations on the Mainland are real towns and cities although the lines of the former LMS are not.

Albert is a J1 tank engine who worked on the Furness Railway with Edward before 1915. Despite that the rest of the FR J1 class tank engines were withdrawn in 1930, Albert survived the first modernization when the LMS scrapped many pre-1923 locomotives. He also survived the modernization period on BR from 1959-1968 when mainline steam was eliminated. I DO NOT OWN ALBERT.

Wayne is a Fowler 2P mixed traffic tender engine who presumably worked on the both the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR) and the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway (LMS) before 1948. He later worked on the London Midland Region of British Railways before 1967. In the early-mid 1960's, Wayne did not interact much with the diesels except for when he ran trains up to Barrow due to the seclusion of his line. He and Albert both noticed fewer and fewer steam engines on the Mainline each year although this did not affect them until 1967. Unlike his brothers and sisters who worked further inland at larger stations, BR controllers saw no reason to withdraw Wayne until the coastal line was threatened with closure in 1966-1967. Wayne survived the period of BR's modernization thanks to the efforts of English preservationists along with Albert, although he later fell into a state of disrepair due to hard economic times. WAYNE BELONGS TO ME.

Hope this guide helped! Chapter 4 coming soon!


End file.
